Method for providing heterogeneous services in terrestrial digital multimedia broadcasting system using picture-in-picture function

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for providing heterogeneous services using a PIP function in a terrestrial DMB receiver. The method includes: a first step of receiving a key input for activating the PIP function and displaying a list of services in an available ensemble during use of a desired DMB service; a second step of selecting a desired item in the list of services; a third step of identifying if the desired item selected at the second step is an “exchange” function and identifying if PIP function of the terrestrial DMB receiver is activated when the selected item is the “exchange” function; a fourth step of exchanging a service of a main screen for a service of a PIP screen, when it is identified that the PIP function is activated at the third step; and a fifth step of identifying if the desired item selected at the second step is the “exchange” function and displaying the selected item on the PIP screen when the selected item is not the “exchange” function.

1. A method for heterogeneous services using a Picture-In-Picture (PIP) function in a terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) receiver, the method comprising:
 a first step of receiving a key input for activating the PIP function and displaying a list of items comprising services in an available ensemble and an “exchange” function of the DMB, during use of a desired DMB service; 
 a second step of selecting a desired item in the list of items; 
 a third step of identifying if the desired item selected at the second step is the “exchange” function and identifying if the PIP function of the terrestrial DMB receiver is activated when the selected item is the “exchange” function; 
 a fourth step of exchanging a service of a main screen for a service of an auxiliary screen in a PIP screen, when the PIP function is activated at the third step; 
 a fifth step of identifying if the desired item selected at the second step is of the “exchange” function and displaying a service of the selected item on the PIP screen, when the selected item is not the “exchange”function; and 
 a sixth step of displaying an “exchange” function error when it is identified that the PIP function is not activated at the third step. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fifth step further comprises the steps of:
 a seventh step of identifying if the desired item selected at the second step is an “exchange” function and identifying if the selected item is a currently used service when the selected item is not an “exchange” function; 
 an eighth step of deactivating the PIP function and displaying the currently used service in a main screen if the selected item is a currently used service, resulting from the identification at the seventh step; and 
 a ninth step of displaying the selected item as a service on the PIP screen if the selected item is not the currently used service, resulting from the identification at the seventh step. 
 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 storing the method as a program in a recording medium of said DMB receiver; 
 reading and executing said method stored in said recording medium by a computer processor of said DMB receiver; and 
 wherein the storage medium is selected from the group consisting of a CD-ROM disc, RAM, a floppy disc, a hard disc, and a magneto-optical disc. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displaying a list of items comprising services in an available ensemble is provided in a format of a mini-Electronic Program Guide (EPG). 
     
     
       5. A DMB receiver having a Picture-In-Picture (PIP) function, comprising:
 a computer program implementing the method of  claim 1 ; 
 a storage medium for storing the computer program; and a processor for reading and executing the stored computer program, 
 wherein the DMB provides heterogeneous services to a user thereof through the PIP function; and wherein 
 the storage medium is selected from the group consisting of a CD-ROM disc, RAM, a floppy disc, a hard disc, and a magneto-optical disc. 
 
     
     
       6. The receiver of  claim 5 , wherein the PIP function provides display of a list of items comprising services in an available ensemble provided in a format of a mini-Electronic Program Guide (EPG).